Pontic Empire
'History' Ancient History The land that is presently called Pontus has a long, and very storied history. The Pontic people are very proud of their heritage and the history of their ethnic group. They have defied many occupations by neighboring powers, and have also suffered through long periods of economic stagnation and mass human suffering. This created a deep resentment and outright hatred towards neighboring states and other minorities in their own lands. Pontic War of Independence Finally, in the year 2900, the Pontic people rose in arms against their neighbor, Bepor. The Bepori and their allies had at several points partially controlled the various areas of Pontus, but never succeeding in complete conquest. The insurgency was brutal, with both sides committing mass executions and numerous human rights violations. However, after many costly setbacks for both sides, a final battle was waged by a desperate Bepori High Command. They believed that if they took the ancient Pontic capital of Trapezus, that they could crush the resistance and snuff out the revolution. Attalus Decimus Metellos, a nobleman and commander of the Pontic rebels, had been expecting this and had secretly divided his forces. When the Bepori laid siege, General Metellos ordered his counterattack, catching their enemies in flank and routing them badly. After the Siege of Trapezus, all Bepori forces completely withdrew from Pontic lands for the first time in at least 300 years. Following this, the few Pontic noblemen that were still alive pledged allegiance to their wartime leader to build a post-war government. The modern state of Pontus was declared on March 1, 2943 by the general in the capital to a mass of cheering onlookers. Attalus' family lineage traced directly back to the ancient line of kings that had ruled over the lands of Pontus back in pre-recorded history. With that knowledge well known to all citizens of Pontus, he was named Emperor Attalus I of Pontus by popular acclaim. He achieved this by having garnered much respect from the Pontic people for his wartime exploits against their hated enemy. Modern History Attalus set about trying to rebuild his nation from the devastation and human suffering that accompanied their decades long military struggle for independence. He first set about getting the farmland productive again, and rebuilding the shattered manufacturing and heavy industrial sectors of the economy. Quickly he found the country's finances drained and debt rising at an alarming rate. During the 2950s, Pontus raided and plundered all of its immediate neighbors, which happened to still be under the sway of Bepor's hegemony. The Pontic Army only faced token opposition, and easily swept their adversaries aside including Bepor itself. Pontus claimed many slave provinces including: Bithynia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Galatia. IRP Membership On the diplomatic front, the emperor joined the IRP federation to gain international standing in the early days of his reign. He had been invited by Josef Vgeny of Persia, the Chairman of the IRP at the time. At the same time, Pontus was actively seeking entry into a common market to help create more economic opportunities for his people. This dream was realized when the Pontic nation was allowed into the NATO FTA Common Market, one of the largest on White Giant. Diplomatically, many measures and initiatives put forward by the IRP in further democratizing the federation have been supported by Emperor Attalus, and Pontus still remains active in the IRP to this day. War and Peace Attalus' strategy hinged on draining all of the workers, wealth, and raw materials from these slave nations. This was accomplished, and by the start of the 2960s, Pontus was very wealthy in both currency and materials. Attalus decreed that all of the slave provinces were to be released from the Pontic Empire, except for the breadbasket of Bithynia to the south that would supply Pontus with all the foodstuffs that it would ever need. Using slave labor, large plantations in Bithynia were very profitable for the Pontic nobles and officials that were awarded them. He ensured their loyalty by lavishing them with lands, titles, and wealth. By the 2970s, Pontus had risen to a level of prominence within the IRP as peace settled on Pontus, something that none of it's people had ever been used to. After a diplomatic flare up in the Pergesus region, Pontus and UCM signed mutual defense agreements in line with IRP policy. The two nations have agreed to set up remote military depots in each other's countries in case one or the other would face invasion by a common enemy. Economic Progress and the 2968 Refugee Crisis As the Pontic economy was roaring ahead, an unforeseen diplomatic issue came abruptly to the political forefront in 2968. The Pontic Empire's neighboring countries deported en masse all their Pontic residents. Relations between Pontus and all of its neighbors had always been tense, but these countries felt confident enough in their own militaries to act brashly. The Republic of Sinoga had been leading the deportation efforts compared to other countries, and drew the ire of many ordinary Pontics. In all, roughly 6 million refugees were displaced by these directives, and Pontus suffered brief economic disruptions from this calamitous event. Fortunately the Pontic economy was rising at such a level that almost 94% of the newly settled refugees found permanent homes and employment within a year and a half of the crisis. Emperor Attalus I declared that he would seek resolution to the issue, whether militarily or financially. Cappadocian War After several failed diplomatic attempts, Attalus decided that military action would be needed to answer for the refugee crisis that had been heaped upon his nation. Therefore, military planning went underway to conquer the Sinogan homeland for the Pontic Empire. On December 7, 2972 military operations began against Sinogan military units and installations. Surprisingly the Sinogan military was far weaker than anyone on the Imperial Staff ever thought. In quick succession, all of Sinoga was captured and by December 9th, the country was completely conquered. Attalus led a military parade through the vanquished capital personally on December 11th, and renamed the country Cappadocia and proclaimed it a province of the Pontic Empire with the city of Caesarea as its capital. The native Sinogans were placed in the same servitude that the Bith were subjected too immediately following the conquest, with Pontic nobles being awarded land grants and ownership of all corporations and the remaining plundered wealth of the former country. 'Economy' The modern economy of Pontus is very diversified. Many industries are thriving, ranging from agricultural to manufacturing and mining. The capitalistic economy was bound by laws requiring it to stay within a laissez-faire framework, with only minimal tarrifs placed on exports and imports. Currently the government is trying to open up much of the mountain ranges and plateaus for extensive mining by the country's few state corporations to tap into Pontus' vast mineral wealth. Using the "deep earth" mining technique, mineral wealth can be extracted from the ground without any environmental impact at all. Until this method of extraction was enacted, only small scale operations were allowed and thereby limiting potential profits. A good example of this is the city of Drogon in Pontus' northeast, which grew from 10,000 to almost 250,000 residents in less than 15 years. The provinces of Bithynia and Cappadocia are agriculturally based, and the economies of both rest upon farming for their sustinances. 'Government' The government of Pontus is a hereditary monarchy with absolute power. The Senate is a advisory council of elected nobles that advises the monarch. All the executive, legislative, and judicial power resides with the head of state, and the monarch. The politics of Pontus are rigidly conservative with very slight progressive tendencies. The slave provinces of Bithynia and Cappadocia are governed by Imperial Administrators, who only answer to the Emperor of the Pontic Empire. ' ' 'Politics' The politics of the Pontic Empire is very simple. Few political parties exist because of the Emperor being given absolute powers by popular acclaim. The Pontic Senate is comprised of two political parties: the People's Socialist Party and the Conservative Party. The Conservatives have held large majorities since the country's founding. The few minorities in the country live in an environment of abject poverty, which was created through centuries of neighboring countries using them as proxies and mercenaries to subject the Pontic people during foreign occupations. 'Military' The Pontic Armed Forces (PAF) consists of the Air Force and the Army. Military training is compulsory for all men between the ages of 18-22. The military is roughly 200,000 men strong. The Air Force consists of two Attack/Bombing Wings and the Army is made up of three active field armies during full mobilization or wartime. During peacetime, most units are deactivated. Recently, the PAF has been allowed by President Derek of UCM to set up a remote military depot at the Phoenix Military Airport in Jacksonville, UCM. 'Culture' The culture of Pontus is vibrant and energetic, yet steeped in tradition and religion. Hunting and fishing are very important past times, along with competing in team sports such as baseball, soccer, and various individual sports. Pontus has sent athletes to the Galactic Olympic Games, which are held every ten years on various planets and Pontic athletes have always placed well. Music is also a large part of Pontic culture, along with poetry, writing, and taking part in martial arts such as judo, sambo, jiu jitsu, and boxing. Religion is also an important facet of Pontic daily life. Ethnic Pontics practice a polytheistic religion, with many gods and godesses that are prayed to several times daily by most of the Pontic people. Hundreds of temples to various deities are looked after by a priesthood that helps organize the many religious festivals that occur throughout the year. 'Infrastructure & Technology' Pontus is more agrarian than technological. It's infrastructure has reflected as much. Pontic architecture is simple, with no extravagances required because of it's natural beauty. In recent years, Attalus I made several concerted efforts to improve the country's infrastructure. This largely succeeded with the construction of large numbers of schools, universities, and hospitals. Road and rail networks were modernized for ease of transportation. While Pontus itself has emerged as a modestly modern state within the community of the Eridana continent, the province of Bithynia has intentionally been left almost exclusively rural due to it's economy being focused almost entirely on agriculture. Bithynia has also been neglected for financial aid because of the racial and ethnic tensions between the local Biths and their Pontic overlords, to whom almost all of the province's wealth has been concentrated. The province of Cappadocia was given the same treatment as Bithynia, with its infrastructure being severely limited and its sole purpose being for foodstuff production for the capital province of Pontus itself. 'Religion' Pontic citizens almost universally follow the faith of Azzam. Azzam is a polytheistic religion, based around ten deities of varying morality. The ten gods are recognized nationally, followed by innumberable demigods which are worshipped in various local areas. Many of them are based on animistic images, based on the local wildlife of the Pontic Empire. The gods of the Azzami pantheon are listed below: Ptah- Supreme God of the Azzami pantheon and ruler of heaven. Thoth- God of wisdom and learning Nekhbet- God of trade and agriculture Khepri- Goddess of nature, fertility, and life Indra- God of war, bravery, and the day Bhakti- Goddess of deception and the dead Aram- God of the rivers, lakes, and seas Apsis- God of fear and the night Toltec- God of laws and justice Sobek- God of the Underworld The Azzami faith is presided over by a priesthood with a structured hierarchy. The priests and priestesses oversee all of the temples, shrines, and religious celebrations within the country. The supreme leader of the faith, referred to as the "Effendi", is chosen for life by a council of the most senior religious elders, regardless of age or gender. The Effendi then oversees the faith's overall structure and organization, as well as giving personal advice and testimony to the emperor of the Pontic Empire at the time. The Pontic people have followed this religion since their recorded history, and it is unique to their region of Eridana. 'Society' The social pyramid of the Pontic Empire are very simple and clearly defined. All ethnic Pontics are legal citizens of the Pontic Empire. The First Estate consists of the Emperor and the Royal Family. This group sits atop all else. The Second Estate includes all of the Pontic nobles and professionals. These individuals can range from bankers, politicians, business owners, doctors, military commanders and officers, government officials, the Azzami clergy, engineers, and large landowners amongst many others. The Pontic Senate draws its members from this group of citizens. The clergy are not allowed to hold political office however, but they also serve as judges in the judicial system as a counter-balance. The Third Estate consists of the rest of the ethnic Pontics and may consist of soldiers, farmers, miners, factory workers, and all other commoners. In a move of equality, the Third Estate votes to elected the members of the Pontic Senate, which come exclusively from the Second Estate. The Fourth Estate is comprised of slaves and indentured servants. The whole of this class is comprised of either ethnic Biths, or other foreigners that have been purchased in the slave trade. All inhabitants of the Pontic Empire that are not ethnic Pontics are permanently placed in this estate.